


feed you

by narrycarry



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: M/M, NERODAN PINING CONFIRMED, ft. dante's strawberry obsession, ft. talk about demon diets, nero the hangry boy, ratings and tags will be updated IF and WHEN i update, sad dante makes an appearance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-16 01:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18681757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narrycarry/pseuds/narrycarry
Summary: Dante sighed, he didn't want to tell Nero but not telling Nero could make it worse. Oh, how his mind had changed.  'You eat,' he answered simply.Nero jumped to his feet with a snarl, 'Eat what, you dumb fuck?!''Whatever it is that make you full,' Dante said firmly.





	1. dinner reservations

Dante was on his seventh bottle of strawberry milk when his co-worker for the past month walked in. 'Something's wrong with me,' Nero said. 

Dante didn't stop drinking, 'Are you worried about your arm? It's fine right?'

'It is,' Nero agreed, 'I've gotten u-' He growled. 'I'm not talking about my arm! I'm hungry! And don't talk with your mouth full!'

Dante swallowed. He pointed to the kitchen, he was actually pointing at the wall but he knew that Nero knew where he really was pointing at. 'There's some leftover pizza in the fridge.' 

'I don't want pizza!' Nero snarled. Oh, wow. He really was angry. 

'Pancakes?' Dante drank the rest of the bottle. 

Nero looked hopeful. 'There's pancakes?' 

'Oh yeah. I made some for you.' Dante opened another bottle and gulped down a third of the strawberry milk in a breath.

'You made me pancakes?' There was disbelief in Nero's voice and a sliver of. Happiness? Oh that didn't sound right. Must've been Dante's hearing things. 

'Thought you’d be hungry when you'd come over,' Dante drank the rest of the milk, put aside the empty bottle and reached for another one. He weighed the bottle for a few seconds before tossing it at Nero. 

Nero caught it perfectly. He looked at the bottle in curiosity, 'What the fuck is this?'

'Nice catch!' Dante cheered as he reached for another bottle. 'It's strawberry milk.'

Nero opened it and sniffed it. He didn't take offense to the smell so he took a small sip. His eyes lit up in surprise. 'It's good,' he murmured in awe.

Dante grinned, 'It's good right? Love that stuff.' 

'I know,' Nero said softly. He then raised his voice, 'the bottles next to you gave that away!' 

'It did,' Dante agreed, 'you should eat the pancakes. You're not you when you're hungry.'

Nero looked at him unimpressed, 'Did you just quote a commercial at me.'

'I did. It's a good line.' There was an opened bottle in Dante's hand. That he hadn't drank from yet. _Weird._

'The pancakes won't work,' Nero said quietly, 'and the pizza won't either. Dante.' He sighed. A deep, bone-weary sigh. Dante looked at him. Really looked at him. Nero was paler than usual, had a sickly tint to him. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. His shoulders were shaking. But even with all that. He still looked… Pretty nice. 

Dante put down the bottle and got out of his seat. Nero jumped. Dante walked to him with a raised his hand. Nero stared at it then nodded, Dante put his hand Nero's shoulder and squeezed. Nero. Relaxed. Dante led him to the couch but Nero didn’t sit down. 

'Nero,' Dante said softly, 'sit down'. Nero looked at him in confusion so Dante pushed him down. He bent his knees without protest, slumping when he was on the chair. 'Tell me what happened.' 

Nero opened and closed his mouth several times before he licked his lips and swallowed. The swallow looked painful. Like he was swallowing a tiny ball. 'I'm hungry. All the time. Even when I eat. Even when I feel full, I don't _feel_ full. I feel full and hungry at the same time!' He took a sip of the strawberry milk. 'I was like this then too. But I. But it. It wasn't as bad? It feels worse now. I don't know why.'

Dante rubbed his chin in thought, 'You said that you've had this hunger before huh? Maybe your new trigger made you feel it more strongly?'

'Could be,' Nero said quietly, 'what does this mean?' 

Dante sat next to him, 'It means that your demon side is hungry. Maybe even starving.'

'I know that!' Nero snapped. 'How do I fix it?!'

Dante sighed, he didn't want to tell Nero but not telling Nero could make it worse. Oh, how his mind had changed. 'You eat,' he answered simply.

Nero jumped to his feet with a snarl, 'Eat what, you dumb fuck?!'

'Whatever it is that make you full,' Dante said firmly. 

Nero shoulders sagged, 'And what? Eat humans?'

Dante raised an eyebrow, 'Is that what Fortuna told you?'

Nero scowled and looked away. 'Yes.' 

'It's right but also wrong,' Dante curled a hand around Nero's elbow to tug him down. Nero sat back down without a word. 'Some demons eat humans but some demons eat other demons.'

'That makes sense. Why didn't I think about that?' Nero muttered. 

Dante squeezed his elbow, 'Thinking that demons only ate humans isn't a bad assumption. The demons we've faced prove it true enough. The thing we have to figure out now is whether you eat human or demon. And after _that_ we have figure that out, we have to figure out which part you eat.'

Nero stared down at the bottle of strawberry milk between his hands, 'What the _fuck_ do you mean by "which part."'

'Some demons can only eat a specific part of their-' Dante thought of the proper word, 'prey.' Nero frowned in confusion. 'Like bears who only eat salmon eggs but not the whole salmon,' Dante clarified. He hoped the kid got the analogy. 

'I don't want to know,' Nero said quietly, 'I don't want to fucking know if I can eat human or demon. I don't want to fucking know which fucking part I can fucking eat.'

Dante put down his botte by his feet to put both of his hands on Nero’s shoulder, 'Listen to me. I get it. The not wanting to know thing? I've been there. It sucks.' Dante sighed, he didn't want to say it, he really didn’t but it needed to be said, 'But you have to know, Nero. You have to. You've hold off this long and that's great but eventually.‘

'I'll lose control,' Nero said softly. 

'Yeah.' Dante smirked, 'Want to kick your ass for fun, Nero. Not for real.'

Nero snorted, 'Dream on, old man. Like I'd lose to you.'

'You did.' Dante said cheerfully. 

'Yeah, _once!_ And that didn't count!' Nero growled. 

Dante's smirk widened, 'Looks like somebody's a sore loser!' He laughed when Nero sputtered. Dante quieted, he squeezed Nero's shoulders again, 'I know this sucks but you'll get through it.'

'Will I?' Nero muttered.

'You will,' Dante assured him, ' _I'll_ get you through it.'

Nero looked at him unimpressed, 'Oh shut the fuck up.'

Dante laughed, reached for his bottle of strawberry milk and clinked it against Nero’s bottle. 'Bottoms up,' He said cheerfully.

'Bottoms up,' Nero echoed. And together, they chugged down strawberry milk. 

Dante set the bottle back down by his feet, 'I think these are the last ones.'

'Of course you'd only give me one, you stingy fucker,' Nero muttered darkly.

'No.' Dante said firmly, 'I _mean_ those are the last ones and I don't have any more.' Dante stood up, 'don't go. I'll go check.' He went to check the fridge by the desk but there were no strawberry milk there, he went to check the kitchen fridge. Aha! There were some strawberry milk left! When Dante returned to the office, to his surprise, Nero was still at the couch. 'You're still here.'

Nero shrugged, 'You told me not to go so I didn't.' He scowled, 'Are you just gonna stand there the whole time? Gimme some damn strawberry milk.'

Dante laughed. He set the bottles on the floor, handed Nero one and together, they spent the rest of the night drinking strawberry milk.


	2. appetizer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i went HAM on this. it's so long??? on one hand: NOICE but on the other hand: hOW?!

Nero sat stiffly on a dining chair, trying not to jiggle his leg. 'You got all this in a week?'

Dante grinned. 'I can work fast sometimes!' he said cheerfully, Nero snorted and Dante shot him a smile. Nero smiled back. He put two six-packs of bottled water and five bottles of mouthwash on the table. Dante stopped. Should he put these on the table too? Yes. It was for Nero to decide if he wanted to try them. Dante put a small red cooler and a medium-sized yellow cooler on the table. He put a big blue cooler on the floor close to the table. With everything settled, he turned to Nero. 'You ready to get this started?' Dante asked. It was a fine Friday morning. They had more than enough time to get to everything. If Nero wanted to. _If._

Nero was frowning at the table. 'I’m not,' he said quietly.

Dante crossed his arms. He didn't blame him. 'We can try next week if you want.'

Nero scowled, 'No,' he said sharply, 'we're doing this. Right now.'

Dante put his hands on the table, 'Alright. I got some stuff here. There’s the easy stuff and the hard stuff. Which one do you want to try first?'

Nero frowned. Dante could practically hear the gears in his hear turning. 'What’s the hard stuff?' he asked.

Dante sighed. Oh here they go. 'It’s body parts. Human and demon.'

Nero’s eyes widened. He jumped out of his chair, toppling it over. 'What?!' he snarled.

Dante bent down to right the chair. 'I did say it was the hard stuff,' he said dryly. Nero’s shoulders slumped. Dante curled a hand around his elbow to tug him down. Nero sat back down without a word. 'If you want, we can stop,' Dante offered.

'No,' Nero said softly, Dante opened his mouth to protest but Nero cut him off. 'No,' Nero snarled, 'we keep going!'

Dante shrugged, 'ok.' He sat down his chair right next to him. 'Tell me when you're ready.' Dante thought about propping his feet on the table but Nero and Trish would yell at him for that so he settled with staring at the wall while Nero argued with himself. In the corner of his eye, Dante observed him. Nero’s hair was neater this time but he still looked sickly, the eye bags seemed darker and there was thicker stubble on his jaw. Dante's chest ached at seeing him like this. Hopefully this problem will be solved quickly enough.

After several minutes, Nero shoulders straightened. 'I want the hard stuff,' Nero said quietly. Dante raised an eyebrow at him, mouth set in small smirk. Nero blushed and Dante laughed. Nero scowled and tried to kick him but Dante lifted his leg to avoid it. When Nero’s scowled deepened and he tried to kick him again, Dante only laughed harder.

When his laughter died down, Dante put a hand on Nero’s shoulder, 'I’ll go get it.' He stood from his chair to reach over and drag the yellow cooler closer. He opened it and tilted it towards Nero so he could see what was inside it. There were several small containers in it. 'Before you start,' Dante said quietly, 'there's a lot demons out there and I’ve only got pieces from several demons. Nero,' he put his hand on Nero’s shoulder and squeezed it, 'you'll have to do this again.'

Dante waited. Nero looked at him for moment before he nodded. 'We'll start with human parts first alright?' He asked him softly, Nero nodded again. Dante turned back to the cooler and took out a small container that _human heart_ written on it. He opened it and slid it over to Nero. Nero hesitantly took it and held it for several minutes. He wasn't gonna touch any of it any time soon so Dante reached over to take it from him. He picked up a piece, the size of his thumb. And put it in his mouth.

Nero looked **horrified**. Dante just shrugged and decided to chew. Nero jumped to his feet to lunge at him, gripping his shoulders. 'Spit it out,' he hissed, 'spit it out!' He shook Dante. **'Spit it out!'** Dante didn't spit it out. Instead, he kept on _chewing_. 'Dante!' Nero shouted, his voice going several octaves, 'I said spit it out!'

'It doesn't taste half bad,' Dante swallowed, Nero looked even more horrified. 'If I didn't know where it came from, I'd even like it,' he said casually. He picked up another piece and held it to Nero's mouth. Nero looked at it in disgust but slowly opened his mouth. Dante pushed it in, Nero's mouth closing over his finger. 'Now chew!' Dante said cheerfully.

Nero glowered at him but did it anyway. Dante waited, Nero's hands on his shoulders. A surprisingly comforting warmth and weight. Nero scowl deepened as he chewed. And chewed. And chewed. And chewed. 'You're suppose to swallow it,' Dante pointed out helpfully.

'Shut the fuck up,' Nero growled. It would have been intimidating if his mouth wasn't full. Instead, it just looked really cute. Oh, wow. That was a majorly inappropriate thing to think about while they were eating body parts.

'Don't talk with your mouth full!' Dante said cheerfully.

'I said shut the fuck up!!' Nero snarled. He swallowed, wincing right after.

'Feeling better?' Dante asked softly.

Nero shook his head, 'I don't. It's in my stomach but I still feel hungry.'

'Let's try another one then,' Dante tried to reach for a water bottle but Nero pushed him back down. 'Nero. You're hands?' He asked. Nero looked surprised and quickly let go. Dante took two water bottles and hand one to Nero.

'Thanks,' Nero mumbled. Dante lifted his water bottle up in cheers before drinking.

'I'm gonna need lots of pizza and sundaes after this,' Dante said. 'Might go for a fudge sundae even.'

'Same here,' Nero muttered.

'You're gonna have to pay though,' Dante said casually, 'I'm broke.'

'Of course, you're broke, you broke-ass _bitch_ ,' Nero muttered darkly. That was one of Lady's insults. Good to know Nero was listening! Dante thought about telling him that most of his money went into buying the stuff in the coolers but decided not to. It wouldn't do anything but make Nero feel bad. And Nero felt bad enough.

'Ready to try another one?' Dante asked. Nero nodded. Dante picked out a container labeled  _human bones_.

'What the fuck,' Nero said. Dante opened it. The bones were cut into inch long pieces as per his request. Dante picked up a piece, popped it in his mouth and started chewing. His teeth cut the bone easily, the bone cracking loudly. Nero winced at the sound. Dante picked up another piece and held it up to Nero. Nero bent down to eat it. Lips brushing Dante's fingertips. Dante blinked, his fingers tingled. Weird.

'It's good,' Dante said.

'It's human bones, Dante.' Nero said flatly.

'Don't talk with your mouth full,' Dante reminded him

'Shut the fuck up,' Nero retorted.

Dante didn't blink, 'It's like what I said. If I didn't know where it came from, I'd even like it.' He swallowed, Nero swallowing too.

'No,' Nero said.

Dante grinned mirthlessly. He took out two containers that said _human muscle_ and _human fat_.

'What the fuck,' Nero hissed. Dante shrugged, opened them and lifted them for Nero to see. The muscle were cut into one-inch long and two-inch wide pieces. They looked like pork, Dante thought bemused. Which was not a good comparison to make! While the fat were cut into one-inch cubes and looked like lard. Which wasn't far off the mark.

'Which one you wanna try first?' Dante asked.

Nero glowered at both but picked the muscle. Dante picked one up and put in his mouth. He picked up another one and lifted it for Nero to eat. Nero bent down to eat it, his lips touching Dante's fingertips. Dante blinked, his fingertips were tingling. Again. _Super_ weird. Dante chewed, Nero following.

'Hey, Dante,' Nero said softly.

'Don't talk with your mouth full,' Dante said automatically. Nero scowled and kicked him. He was too busy chewing to notice until a burst of pain flared on his shin. Dante blinked up at Nero.

Nero swallowed, 'Where did you get this stuff?' He asked quietly.

Dante kept on chewing. That was a surprise. He didn’t think Nero would be interested in knowing. Dante swallowed, 'Got it from my contacts.'

'Contacts?' Nero asked.

Dante nodded, 'Yeah. I know somebody who works at a morgue, know somebody who works at a blood bank too. And there's Trish, Lady and Morrison.'

'You know a lot of people,' Nero said thoughtfully.

'Been in this job a long time!' Dante said cheerfully. 'Should give you my contacts list sometime,' he raised the fat for Nero to take but found him staring at him. 'Nero?' Nero blinked, his eyes sliding away from him and to the fat. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

'How the fuck am I gonna eat that,' Nero growled.

'Like a shot. Just drink it down, **do not** chew,' Dante said firmly.

'Of course, you'd fucking talk about booze, you fucking _lush_ ,' Nero muttered. Dante shrugged, he had a point. He took a piece, Nero took another. Dante looked at him in the eye and nodded. Nero nodded back. They put that fat in their mouths, threw their head back and _gulped_.

Dante grimaced, shoulders shaking while Nero ran to the sink to spit it out. ' **WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT** ,' Nero snarled. Dante nodded in agreement. Wow, that was bad! That was really bad!

'Forgot how bad that was!' Dante wheezed. He shakily closed the containers and put them back in the cooler.

'It's still on my mouth!' Nero shouted, his voice going up several octaves, _'It's still on my mouth!!'_ Dante lunged for a bottle of mouthwash, twisted the cap off and ran to Nero's side to hold it up to his mouth.

Nero gave him a look. 'It's mouthwash,' Dante said quickly, tilting up further so Nero could drink. He took a very big mouthful of it, gargled and spat it out. He gargles several times to be sure. Dante really couldn't blame him. Nero handed him the mouthwash. Dante raised an eyebrow at him. 'You wash your mouth too.' Dante shook his head and stepped away but Nero followed him. 'I _said_ wash your mouth too!!' He hissed.

Dante took it dutifully and gargled. When he spat it out, he tried to give the mouthwash back to Nero but he refused. 'Wash your mouth _several_ times,' Nero said quietly, Dante looked at him confused, 'Wash your mouth several times,' Nero hissed. Dante shook his head but gargled several times until Nero was satisfied.

'Feeling better?' Dante asked.

' _No_ ,' Nero sharply, 'Not from the-' he waved his arm for the word.

'Muscle,' Dante said helpfully.

'Shut the fuck up,' Nero snapped. 'And definitely not from the-' he waved his arm again for the word.

'Fat, Dante said helpfully.

 _'Shut the fuck up!'_ Nero snarled. Dante laughed, put his hands on Nero's shoulders to lead him back to his chair. Dante looked down in surprise. Nero's chair had toppled over. And he didn't notice? He bent down to right it then curled a hand around Nero's elbow to tug him down. Nero sat back down without a word.

'Want to keep going?' Dante asked softly.

'Yeah,' He said quietly.

Dante took out a container that had written _human lungs_. He ate a piece then slid the container over to Nero. Who was looking was looking at him disbelief.

'What?' Dante asked.

'You didn't have to eat it too. You know that right?' Nero asked.

Dante shrugged, 'Eating by yourself would make you feel bad.' Nero looked surprised. 'I should know', Dante continued, 'I've been there.' He tapped the container; Nero jumped and quickly took out a piece.

'Don't talk with your mouth full,' Nero reprimanded. With his mouth full. Dante laughed, his fist over his mouth. Nero looked surprised and Dante laughed harder. He swallowed.

'Don't talk with _your_ mouth full!' Dante said cheerfully.

Nero scowled and looked away. He grimaced. 'Why the _fuck_ does it feel weird,' he muttered.

'It's lungs, they all taste the same,' Dante said, Nero turned back to look at him in curiosity. 'I've eaten chicken lungs and pig lungs,' Dante clarified.

Nero glowered at him. 'Why the fuck would you want to eat chicken lungs and pig lungs,' he muttered.

'Hey!' Dante protested, 'They're not that bad. Way better than human lungs at least.'

Nero grimaced. 'Did you really have to fucking remind me?!' He snarled. Dante smiled and gave him a look. 'No,' Nero said flatly. Damn.

Dante nodded. He took out a container with _human liver_ written on it. It was cut in one-inch pieces; Dante took one then handed the container to Nero. Nero ate a piece. Dante chewed thoughtfully the swallowed. 'Grilled pork liver is really good. I know a place that has it. Should take you there sometime.' Dante said causally. 'Feelin' better?' He asked.

Nero swallowed then shook his head. Dante grabbed the six-pack of bottled water and dragged it closer. He snapped the plastic easily, taking one out to hand to Nero. 'Surprised, it took us this long to get the water,' Dante said thoughtfully. Nero grabbed a water and handed it to him. Dante blinked at it in surprise, Nero shook it. Dante took the bottle then set it aside. Nero growled, snatched it back, opened it and lifted it to Dante's mouth. Dante took a small sip of water.

'Dante,' Nero said flatly, Dante looked at him, 'Drink the damn water.' Dante looked confused, Nero scowled. 'Drink the damn water, Dante,' he hissed. Dante shook his head in disbelief, but took the water and drank from it. Under Nero's watchful eye, Dante dutifully drank half the bottle. When Nero nodded in satisfaction, Dante set the bottle down.

'What happened to you?' Nero asked.

'What do you mean?' Dante asked.

'Before. Last week. You said that you've been here before,' Nero said.

'When I-' Dante searched for the words, 'unlocked my trigger, I felt really hungry too.'

'What did you do?' Nero asked softly.

'I went looking for food,' Dante answered simply, 'I didn't have that much money and didn't know that many people. It didn't go that well.' He laughed.

Nero frowned. 'What happened?'

'Thought about killing a human,' Dante said casually, 'just so I could have a little taste.' Nero looked horrified. 'But I didn't,' Dante said quickly, trying to reassure him. 'Found a morgue. Forced the mortician to give me a part at gun point. She called the police and I hit her. Thought I killed her.'

'What happened after that?' Nero asked softly.

'Killed a demon and ate it. It was _good_. But it wasn't that good y'know?' Dante asked. Nero nodded, he understand what he meant. 'Killed another demon, that one was stronger. Way stronger than the rest and that first bite.' Dante smiled, 'The first bite was-Oh, I don't know how to explain it. It was like-' he searched for the words. 'it was like it was first time that I really ate. And it still wasn't _enough_.' Dante shook his head to clear it. Those memories were bad and it was bad to remember them. He patted Nero's shoulder. 'But we're not here for me!' He said cheerfully. 'Wanna try another one?'

'I want to know,' Nero blurted out. Dante tilted his head, 'I want to know. About you.' He said quietly.  
  
Dante raised his eyebrows, 'There's not much to know about me.'

Nero scowled. 'There is!' He snapped. 'There's a lot to know about you!' He stood up, jabbing his thumb at his chest. 'And I want to know!' Dante blinked up at him in surprise.

Dante smiled ruefully. 'Nero,' He said softly, 'there really isn't much to know about me.' Nero opened his mouth to protest but Dante cut him off. 'I've spent my whole life killing demons. That's it.'

'What about me?!' Nero shouted, 'My whole life is about killing demons too!'

'No,' Dante said firmly, 'you have a life with Kyrie and the orphanage.'

'I'm not with _with_ Kyrie, moron!' Nero snapped.

'That's not what I mean!' Dante said, Nero scowled but didn't speak. 'I mean that if you weren't with _with_ Kyrie, you still have a life with her. What I mean that if you stopped hunting demons, you still have something. What I mean, Nero, is that if I stopped hunting demons,' Dante sighed, 'I wouldn't have anything left.'

Nero frowned. His eyes strangely shiny. 'But you do have something left,' he said softly, he put his hands on Dante's shoulders. A surprisingly comforting warmth and weight. 'Even if you stopped demon hunting, I'll still be here.' Nero said softly.

Dante raised his eyebrows, 'You want me around?' Nero nodded, determination set on his face. Dante smiled. He reached up to pat Nero's hands. 'That's nice of you to say Nero but I don't think it'll happen.' Nero frowned in confusion. 'I'm not gonna stop hunting demons. I'll probably die in this job,' Dante said cheerfully. Nero looked horrified. 'It's fine,' Dante reassured him, 'I expect that to happen. Besides, nobody's gonna be there.'

Nero swallowed. It looked painful. 'Be there for what?' He asked quietly.

'My funeral or my retirement,' Dante said casually, 'whichever comes first.'

'I'll be there,' Nero said determinedly.

'For my funeral?' Dante asked.

'No,' Nero snapped, 'for your retirement!'

'Gonna throw me a little retirement party?' Dante asked playfully.

'I might!' Nero yelled.

Dante laughed. 'Well, you're gonna be disappointed. You'll be the only one there.'

'Why,' Nero asked with a frown.

'Not sure if you noticed Nero, but no one likes me that much,' Dante said casually. Nero's shoulders slumped.

'I like you,' Nero said quietly. So quiet that Dante would have missed it if he wasn't looking at him.

Dante smiled, small and soft. 'I like you too,' he said quietly. Nero looked surprised. Was it really that much of a surprise? It didn't feel like a surprise to him. 'Thanks for the party!' he said cheerfully, trying to comfort Nero. 'Enough about me, we're here for _you_. You wanna keep going?' Dante asked. Nero was still staring at him. 'Nero,' he said.

Nero blinked, his eyes still not moving away from his face. 'Yes, we keep going.' He sat down.

Dante nodded and reached inside the cooler. When he took two containers out, Nero plucked them out of his hands. Dante looked at him in surprise.

' _What the fuck are these_ ,' Nero growled.

'Feet and hands. Both the fleshy part and bones.' Dante said.

'Don't fucking say fleshy part!!' Nero snarled.

'But they are the fleshy part,' Dante pointed out helpfully. Nero glowered at him. 'They're soles and palms. It said right there on the label.'

'They look fucking terrible.' Nero muttered. Dante nodded in agreement. 'And don't fucking say label ever again!!' he shouted.

'Which one you wanna try first?' Dante asked.

Nero put them both down. Dante reached for one but Nero stopped him. His hand curled around Dante's. It was surprisingly nice. 'I'll do it,' Nero said determinedly. Dante smiled. He tried to pull his hand back but Nero kept his hold.

'Nero?' Dante asked, 'Can you let go of my hand?'

'Why,' Nero asked, 'I could keep holding it.'

'Actually,' Dante started, 'You can't.' Nero glared at him. Dante shook his head with a smile, small and soft. 'Nero. You can't open those-' he tilted his head towards the containers, 'with one hand.'

Nero scowled deepened but he let go. He turned back to the containers and opened them. Dante reached for them again and once again Nero stopped him. Dante raised his eyebrows. 'I said _I'll_ do it.' Dante shrugged. Nero picked a piece from _human foot (soles and bones)_. He lifted it for Dante to eat. Dante leaned forward to eat it, his lips touching Nero's fingertips. Nero blinked, rubbing his fingertips together before picking up a piece and eating.

They ate in silence. Nero swallowed. 'I meant it you know,' he said quietly, 'I do like you.'

Dante chewed thoughtfully. 'I meant it too.' Nero looked surprised. He swallowed. 'I like you too.' Dante took a sip of his water. 'I've liked you since we meet,' Dante admitted. 'Feel better?' he asked.

Nero snapped out of his daze. 'No.' He picked up a bone. 'What the fuck is this.'

'Either a toe or a bone cut to pieces.' Dante said. Nero lifted it to Dante's mouth, he opened it and Nero pushed it in. Dante chewed while watching Nero. Nero still looked sickly and still had dark eye bags but they seemed be lighter? This stuff was working but only a tiny, tiny, tiny bit. Dante hoped that the demon parts would be a bigger help.

Nero swallowed then picked up a red piece from _human hand (palm and bone)_ for Dante to eat. Dante stared at it before leaning forwards to eat it, his lips touching Nero's fingertips. Nero rubbed his fingertips together then curled them towards his palm. Dante looked at it curiously. Nero looked like he was holding something. He used his other hand to eat a piece. They ate in silence.

Dante swallowed. 'You know,' he started, 'there was a body part that I didn't buy.' Nero raised his eyebrows. 'Genitals,' he said cheerfully. Nero choked, hands clamping over his mouth. Dante laughed. Nero coughed loudly several times. 'Want me to buy you some?' Dante asked.

' _Oh fuck no_ ,' Nero managed to wheeze out. Dante put a hand on his shoulder and handed him a bottled water. Nero chugged down all of it.

'You can say that now, but you might actually need to eat it,' Dante said.

'Fuck you **!**   **No!!** ' Nero snarled. Dante shook his head with a smile.

Dante looked at the container and Nero pulled it away. Nero took a bone, held it to Dante's mouth and Dante obediently opened his mouth to eat it. Nero ate his piece.

'What are we gonna eat next?' Nero asked.

'Don't eat with your mouth full,' Dante absent-mindedly reminded. Nero rolled his eyes. 'We have human blood left and after that, we'll eat demon parts.'

Nero swallowed. 'Do you want to keep going?' He asked.

Dante raised an eyebrow, 'Shouldn't it be me asking you that? We _are_ here for you, you know.'

Nero shrugged, 'I want to drink the-' he scowled, 'blood. But after that I want to take a break.' He looked hopeful.

Dante smiled, 'Sure. We can take a break. We have the rest of the weekend.' He closed the container closest to him and put them back in the yellow cooler. Nero appeared by his side. He startled, wasn't Nero too close? Nero passed him the closed containers and he put them all back in the same cooler. They worked in a comfortable silence.

When they were done, Dante pushed the cooler away and dragged the small red cooler closer. He took two blood bags from it and handed Nero one. He glared at it but took it.

'How do we drink it,' Nero muttered.

'We bite into the bag. Or put it a cup,' Dante said. He stood up and walked to the cupboard to get two beer mugs. He came back to the table, giving Nero one.

Nero glowered at his mug. 'I don't want to drink it from a fucking cup,' he growled.

'Then you'll have to bite the bag,' Dante said, 'while I-' he ripped the bad easily, tipping it so the blood would flow into the mug, 'drink it like this.'

'Why the fuck did you do that,' Nero said flatly.

'I don't like the taste of plastic,' Dante answered simply. He raised his cup in cheers and chugged the blood down. It tasted ok! Dante still hated it. He finished the blood and put the beer mug down in a span of _seconds_. Nero looked impressed. Dante couldn't help his smirk. The hours of perfecting that trick were hours well spent!

Nero blinked, he set the blood bag and reached for Dante. Dante waited. Nero leaned forward, hands cupping Dante's cheeks. His fingers went to Dante's upper lip. He was rubbing away the blood. Nero rubbed through his stubble for a few minutes before he frowned and tugged Dante out of his chair and to the sink. Dante let himself be led without a sound.

Nero turned on the tap, dipping his fingers in the running water. He cupped Dante's cheeks again. Too warm water on his already warm hands. Nero rubbed his thumbs into Dante's stubble, washing them when they came away bloody. They stood in comfortable silence.

When Nero reached for Dante's face for the fifteenth or sixteenth time-Dante had lost count-he stopped. He stared at him. Dante stared back. Nero slowly brought his hands around Dante's face. His hands felt too hot on Dante's skin and the weight of them too heavy. Dante wanted to close his eyes and lean in. To bask in it. It felt nice. It felt terrifyingly nice.

'Is there still blood on my face,' Dante asked loudly. Nero jumped, snapping out if his daze. He let go of Dante's face and, for a moment, Dante let himself miss it.

'Yeah,' Nero said awkwardly, 'there's still blood on your face.' Dante lightly elbowed him out of way. He put his head under the tap, scrubbing at his stubble under Nero's eyes. The water wetted his hair and his shirt but he didn't mind. When his fingers didn't come away bloody, Dante turned off the tap and straightened to face Nero.

Nero's curled his fingers around a lock of Dante's wet hair. He stared at him. Dante stared back. There was something in Nero's gaze. Something new or at least something Dante never saw before. Something that Dante half-wanted to know and half-wanted to forget.

'You gonna drink the blood?' Dante asked casually. Nero nodded. Dante's put his hands on Nero's shoulders to lead him back to his chair. Nero went and sat down without a word. Dante slid his mug over to Nero.

Nero glowered at it. 'I still don't want to fucking drink it from a fucking cup,' he growled. Ah, he was back to normal!

'Then you'll have to drink it straight from the bag,' Dante said with shrug. He handed the blood bag to Nero again. 'Rip out a small part of the plastic not a big one or it'll go every where. It's like a juice box basically,' Dante sat back down on his chair.

'Don't you ever fucking compare a fucking blood bag to a fucking juice box _ever again_ ,' Nero snapped. Dante laughed.

'I won't.' Dante said. Nero ripped out a small part out of the bottom edge of the blood bag leaving him with plastic in his mouth. Dante offered his hand. 'You can spit it out.' Nero scowled and shook his head. He spat the blood into Dante's mug. He shrugged. Smart choice.

Nero drank the blood slowly. He put it back down, only managing to drink half. Dante took Nero's mug and poured the remaining blood into it. He drank the rest. The blood and the parts did n **othing** for him. There were like junk food. They tasted ok but it didn't fill him up. Human flesh, human blood never did. He put the mug down on the table.

'You ok?' Dante asked softly.

Nero grimaced. 'No,' he said quietly, 'I still feel hungry but I feel full too. It's-' he sighed. Dante put his hand Nero's shoulder and squeezed. And Nero. Nero relaxed. Dante didn’t know what that meant so he just smiled. Nero smiled back.

'Let's take a break,' Dante said quietly. Nero nodded. 'You want strawberry milk?' he asked playfully.

'Fuck yeah, I do,' Nero said. Dante laughed and went to the fridge get them some. 'You better give me more this time!' Nero shouted at his back.

'I will!' Dante said. He grabbed four and went to the table.

When he set the down, Nero grabbed a bottle, almost snapping the whole thing in half when trying to open it. Dante took it from him, opened it and drank it. Nero glared at him. Dante just smiled. He handed Nero another bottle and thankfully he was calm enough to properly open it this time.

Nero chugged it down. Dante lifted his own bottle up in cheers, Nero clinking his second bottle against it. Dante grinned, Nero grinned back. They drank in comfortable silence. When Nero finished his bottle, he went to get more. And when he came back to the table, his arms were full of strawberry milk.

'You're gonna share those, right?' Dante asked.

'No,' Nero said sharply.

'You're being mean,' Dante said cheerfully.

'I don't care. Shut the fuck up,' Nero said flatly. Dante laughed.

Dante went back to his strawberry milk. In the corner of his eye, he observed Nero. Nero still looked terrible but he seemed to have more energy now. Was it because Nero got energy from the parts? Or was he forcing himself to be more energetic? Dante hoped it was first one. The thought of Nero forcing himself hurt. It hurt a lot actually.

Dante slapped Nero's hands away. 'You have your own bottles,' Dante said firmly.

Nero smirked. 'Just checking if you were paying attention,' he said casually.

'I am,' Dante smiled. 'I always pay attention to you,' he said absent-mindedly. Nero stared at him. 'What?' Dante asked.

Nero looked away. 'I'm gonna go get more,' he muttered and stomped away.

Dante shook his head with a smile. He was half-way through his second bottle when he realized with a start.

Nero didn't tell him not to talk while his mouth was full.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> question #1: can y'all tell WHERE i lost my mind?  
> question#2: should i name the chapters?

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: [narrycarry](https://twitter.com/narrycarry)


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